Case study: All Colors of Communication (PR Agency)

Since July 2018, Elke De Ridder has been co-owner of the full-service communications agency All Colors of Communication, together with Kristof De Roeck and Laurens De Lanoeye. The three took over the agency through a management buy-out. Elke is PR Director and brings nearly 20 years of expertise in Public Relations to the table. Since the summer of 2019, she and her team have been working with Smart.pr.

CAN YOU TELL US BRIEFLY ABOUT YOUR AGENCY?

“All Colors of Communication is an integrated B2B and B2C communications group for the technology, HR, and construction sectors. From our office in the green belt around Brussels, we support both local and international companies with their 360° communications strategy. Think of us as bridge builders who break down traditional communication silos between PR, marketing, branding, and sales.”

Since their founding 15 years ago – back then still under the names Out of the Crowd and Whizpr Belgium – a lot has changed. “I still remember the days when there was literally a door separating our small marketing and PR teams. Thankfully, those days are long gone! Today, we are much more in sync with one another, and our areas of expertise have expanded over the years. Sometimes by spotting new market opportunities, sometimes by attracting new talent. Today we are a team of thirty men and women, all experts in their own field – whether that’s marketing, PR, branding, copywriting, or digital. No more separate rooms. One team, one strategy, one course.”

WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS?

“All Colors serves both B2B and B2C clients. We started in the technology sector, but today we are also strong in HR and construction. Well-known clients such as Attentia, Sony, Dell Technologies, Epson, LaCie, Lenovo, Remeha, Ricoh, Salesforce, Seagate, SipWell, and Somfy are part of our portfolio. Depending on the client’s needs, All Colors works in Belgium, the Belux, Benelux, or across EMEA.”

AS ALL COLORS GREW, SO DID THE CHALLENGES

“Until a few years ago, we managed our press database ourselves. Back then, it was still easy! We specialized in technology and knew our journalists personally. But as we added new sectors and areas of expertise (such as influencer marketing), our press contacts also needed to expand. That became much more challenging. Eventually, we realized it was no longer feasible — it would come at the expense of our personal approach, service, and quality.”

SEARCHING FOR A PRESS SYSTEM

“Our search was driven by one key factor: relevance! Finding the right journalist for the right message. We know journalists are inundated with press releases, so personal relationships and lobbying are extremely important to us. As are authenticity and honesty. It’s no coincidence that journalists know they can always drop by here for a cup of coffee.

The only thing missing was a centralized, up-to-date address book to track which colleague had been in touch with which journalist, when, and about what. That overview helps us tremendously in building relationships. So when we heard from our Dutch colleagues that the Belgian database was available in Smart.pr, we immediately scheduled a meeting.”

“The service is excellent, and you always get a quick response. That’s not always the case with other systems.”

HOW DOES SMART.PR HELP YOU WITH THAT?

“Before Smart.pr, we used another system and updated the database manually. Press releases were sent out via our CMS directly to inboxes. The downside was that you couldn’t see what happened afterward.

The big advantage now is that we can see who opens the release, who clicks, and where we need to follow up. Those insights help us be more relevant. But it’s also very practical: if you need to step in for a colleague, you can now see in one place whether a release has already been sent and handle the necessary follow-up.”

WHERE DOES SMART.PR EXCEL?

“Service. With Smart.pr, it’s great that you get a quick response via chat. The service is excellent, and you always get an answer fast. That’s not always the case with other systems. It makes a big difference.

You also notice that innovation is a top priority. For example, we wanted to be able to search journalists by language and to see circulation figures. Not long after, both features were available.”

HOW DO YOU USE SMART.PR?

“It’s a tool our PR consultants use every single day. They send (press) releases daily and check whether they are being picked up. Our address book is a blend of our own expertise and knowledge — with data from our existing media lists combined with the Smart.pr database.

We also use the integrated search engine Journa to check who is writing about which topics. That always leads to interesting and useful new contacts and media. It’s also very handy for prospecting or when dealing with entirely new themes.”

WHY IS SMART.PR THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR ALL COLORS OF COMMUNICATION?

“In addition to its focus on innovation and ease of use, it’s great that weekly training sessions and webinars are offered. A new colleague can easily get a complete overview this way. We can also evaluate and initiate actions more effectively.

Smart.pr is the system that enables us to do the very best for our clients day in, day out.”